I sit bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath. It takes a moment to register where I am, and the fact that I had only had a nightmare, nothing more. The sheets and coverlet are sticking to my sweat-soaked body, and I'm shaking like a leaf in the wind, so I try to calm myself down. Deep breaths. That was only a dream, none of that actually happened. You're going to be just fine. Deep breaths. I take my own advice, breathing deeply and forcing myself to relax. But the images of the Chitauri and Thanos's cruel smile keep flashing through my mind, refusing to go away.

I look at my watch, and sigh when I see that it's barely 4:30 in the morning. I won't be getting any more sleep tonight. I climb out of bed, suddenly feeling weary as the adrenaline rush wears off. I make my bed in the dark and then flip the light on, digging in my dresser for something suitable to wear. After a moment, I decide on a casual pair of grey skinny jeans and a grey and white striped three-quarter length shirt. Grabbing the tennis shoes out from under the bed, I head into the half-bath and give myself another spit bath.

Once I'm finished and dressed, I exit the bathroom and strap on my Apple Watch, noting the time again. It's almost five in the morning. I slip my iPhone in my back pocket, then flip my head down so all my hair falls forward. I wince as a muscle in my right calf that I strained yesterday is forced to stretch. I quickly gather my thick hair into a high ponytail and tie it off, straightening with a slight gasp of pain as the strained calf muscle relaxes. I hope Loki doesn't want us to spar again today, I think, heading for the door. But I know that it's probably useless to hope otherwise. Loki is a very ambitious man.

I walk down the hallway and into the main area, and frown in annoyance. Most of the area is already filling up with workers. At five in the morning. I shake my head and hurry towards the kitchen, trying to ignore the pain in my leg, knowing that if I don't get my breakfast right now, I won't have a chance to for a couple of hours.

After a quick breakfast of leftover waffles from yesterday morning and two fried eggs that Agnes gives me, I help her serve breakfast to Loki's henchman. She and I seem to have developed a mutual understanding, and we work rather well together, even if she does have glowing blue eyes. And she always seems to know what I'm going to say before I finish saying it.

"Agnes, do you want me to deliver-"

"Yes. It's already prepared, over there." Agnes points to the tray of food she made for Frosty. Oh, Frosty. Now that one is suitable. Hehehe.

I take off my apron and lift the tray, exiting the kitchen. The guards at the hallway entrance nod to me, and one of them addresses me. "The King has other business this morning. He instructed me to tell you to leave the tray on his table."

I raise my eyebrows. "Oh. Ok. Thanks." I continue down the hallway and enter the third room on my right, not needing to knock this time. The room is dark when I step inside, so I flip the light switch, and the wall lamps immediately fill the room in a gentle light. I set the tray of food down carefully on the table between the white chairs, and then take a look around the room. Should I explore? I stand for a moment in indecision, and then my eyes fall on the wall full of books. My feet make the decision for me, propelling me towards the large collection of literature.

I scan the wall of books, letting my fingers trail over the bindings. Most are classics—Aristotle, Plato, and the like. I can't help but laugh a little when I see a collection of Shakespeare's works. How many fan fictions have I read and memes have I seen about Loki's supposed love of ancient works? Well, I guess it's true. I continue to browse, and am surprised to find a number of novels lining the shelves— Dickens, Tolstoy, Carroll, Austen.

I smile widely when I see a copy of one of my favorites: Pride and Prejudice. The story is about a man and woman who, upon meeting, form opinions about each other that are completely wrong. As time passes, each one's opinion of the other seems to be confirmed by the other's actions, and at the climax, the tension explodes in an odd proposal and an angry argument. The man, who has fallen in love with the woman, then distances himself from her, but not before he tells her the truth behind his actions. The woman is then left to examine her own heart and actions towards him, and soon realizes how wrong she was. She then begins to realize her own feelings towards him, and when he saves her family from disaster, she realizes how deep her feelings truly are. Not long after, he proposes again, and they marry and live "happily ever after". My main reason for loving the story so much is that the main character, whom I can easily relate to, overcame her flaws and emerged a stronger, happier person in the end. It inspires me to keep moving forward, and leave the past behind. I bite my lip. But sometimes I don't want to leave my past behind...

Suddenly, my thoughts are interrupted as I become aware of a presence in the room behind me. I tense slightly, but decide not to let it show and instead keep searching the shelves. I know who is in the room, so I'm not afraid. Well, not too afraid.

The next set of books I come across surprises me so much that I can't help but exclaim aloud.

"Suzanne Collins?!"

I turn around, and my eyes meet Loki's. "You like the Hunger Games?"

Loki's face is unreadable. "They're tolerable."

I raise an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you of all people likes dystopian literature," I say with a short laugh. Loki frowns slightly, probably wondering whether that was an insult. I quickly change the subject, hoping he's not upset with me for looking around in his room without permission. "Are we going to train again today?"

"Yes," he responds, dashing my hopes. I nod, not letting my disappointment show.

"When should I come back?"

"We leave in one hour," he answers. I nod again, and turn to leave. But as I step forward, my strained calf muscle screams in protest, probably because I had been standing in one position for too long. I gasp slightly and wince, nearly falling to the floor, but Loki quickly steps forward and supports me. I right myself and look up at him in surprise. "Are you alright?" he asks, his brows knitted in concern.

I'm so surprised that he even cares that it takes me a moment to respond. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, it's just a strained muscle or something. Nothing to—"

"Show me," Loki interrupts, noticing that I'm favoring my right leg. I hesitate, not sure what to expect.

"It's my right calf," I say, watching him carefully. He doesn't even look at me, but instead kneels down and gently grasps my leg, fingers probing for the stretched muscle like a doctor would. I tense when he finds it, clenching my jaw in pain. "Right there," I quickly say, hoping he'll stop. He nods, and then placed both his hands on the wounded muscle, closing his eyes in concentration. Watching cautiously, I see the green-gold energy of his magic start to swirl around his hands. My own energy- magic- then begins to dance with his, swirling together as I feel the pain in my leg fade and the injured muscle relax. I breathe an involuntary sigh of relief.

Loki stays for a moment longer, and I realize he is looking at our intertwined magical energies. Then he releases his magic and looks up at me. "Is that better?"

I put weight on that leg, feeling no pain. "Yeah, it is. Thanks."

He nods, standing up. We look at each other for a moment, each of us trying to read the other.

"Is that your strength?" I suddenly ask. Loki furrows his brow.

"What?"

"Is that your strength? Healing people?" I decide not to mention that he just did what he was getting so upset with me for earlier- asking me to repeat what I said.

Loki's face clears in comprehension. "No." He pauses, seeming unsure about something, then continues. "My strength is shapeshifting."

My face lights up in an interested grin. "Really? That is so cool!"

Loki looks rather surprised, and also confused. "Cool?"

I give him an amused smile. "Right, sorry. You aren't from Earth-Midgard. It means I think that's amazing!"

Loki raises an eyebrow. "You aren't from Midgard either, Victoria."

I freeze.

At those words, my nightmare comes rushing back to me in full detail. The fear, the hopelessness, the helplessness. Thanos. Dragging me into an abyss of darkness, not letting me return to my home. My family, about to be killed, and there is nothing I can-

"Victoria?"

I blink, my dream vanishing in an instant. Loki is watching me, concern in his bright blue eyes. I shake my head, trying to make the tears rushing to my eyes go away. I have to get out of here. "I, uh, I...I'll meet you here in one hour?"

He nods slowly, frowning. He opens his mouth to say something, but I give him a quick, fake smile. "Ok." Then I quickly exit the room, closing the door behind me.

I head down the hallway and into the main area, walking much faster than normal and trying to hold in my emotions, but a tear escapes and trails down my cheek anyway. I wipe it away furiously, breaking into a run as I see the hallway on the other side leading to my room. I dash through the main area, dodging blue-eyed people, and finally reach my door at the end of the hallway. I throw it open and rush inside, a sob breaking out as I slam and lock it behind me. Then I collapse to my knees, my head in my hands as I let the tears come.

What have I done?

Author's Note: Hey guys! Another update for all my precious readers! Thank you for reading my ramblings down here lol. Ya'll mean so much to me! I would not have made it this far as a writer without people like you. I love you all!

AuthorsDream, signing off.